History

Regional Engagement

History students have a number of opportunities to collaborate with UNK's partners in the Kearney Community. For online students, taking public and digital history courses allows students the opportunity to work with institutions such as museums, national parks, and archives.

Phi Alpha Theta: UNK's History Honor Society

Phi Alpha Theta is a prestigious national honor society that provides significant opportunities for history students. Our Pi-Nu chapter was founded at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1970 and has over 400 members and alumni.

To qualify for lifetime membership in Phi Alpha Theta, undergraduate students must have completed at least 12 hours of History courses with a 3.1 average in those courses and have at least a 3.0 average in two thirds of all other course work. Graduate students should have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours towards their master's in history and have a 3.5 GPA. Applications for membership can be submitted through contacting Advisor Dr. Torsten Homberger.

Community Outreach

History students and faculty are engaged in a variety of outreach activities in Kearney and communities throughout the state. We often work with local museums, historical societies, and libraries with a variety of partnership opportunities such as the Brown Bag Lecture Series with Kearney Public Library.

Undergraduate Research

Most students (undergraduate and graduate) engage in research during their time at UNK. For undergraduate work, this involves one-on-one faculty-student mentoring with a student-led research project. The Undergraduate Research Fellows (URF) program or the Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) carries student stipends and offers experiential learning that students present locally and at professional conferences.

Graduate Research

UNK History Graduate Student research involves a combination of history coursework and research along with opportunities to collaborate and network that will prepare students to excel in their careers. Our graduate students have presented at national and international conferences and have received fellowships and grant awards for their research. Many have published their work in top academic journals (articles) and university presses (monographs).

Scholarships and Internships

There are a wide a variety of funding and experiential learning opportunities for history students throughout their time at UNK. For scholarship support for first-time history students as well as continuing history students, see the scholarship page or talk to your history advisor.

The UNK History Department also offers a variety of internships and study abroad opportunities for history students at every stage of their careers.

History Day

The UNK History Department is one of the hosts for Nebraska's District History Day contests. History Day is a national educational competition that brings in a variety of middle- and high-school students to conduct original research on historical topics. These research-based projects are entered into local district contests, where winning entries have the opportunity to advance to a state contest, and then top-ranking projects can advance to a National Contest. For more information or ways to get involved, please contact the Director, Jim Rohrer.

Alumni and Friends

Studying history at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is a rewarding experience on campus and for your professional career. We would like to know more about how your history degree has influenced your life after UNK. Please let us know how you are doing by updating your contact information below. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up-to-date on our activities!